Ethnicities
What is an Ethnicity? Stupid question, I know, I'm sure everyone knows what an ethnicity is. In terms of game mechanics, the character's ethnicity is essentially a replacement for the race of the average fantasy setting. Obviously, since Humans are the only intelligent species on our glorious Earth, instead of races, the characters will instead select from a list of ethnicities of Humanity instead of a list of different races. They essentially work the same, they give some bonuses and are useful in terms of role-playing. Just for your knowledge, no, not every ethnicity is covered, and yes, I do know that ethnicities can go deeper than this (Bavarian as a sect of German, or Caledonian as a sect of French), I'm trying to keep things simple here. North American Ethnicities White American -Hailing from the United States of America, these people are almost fanatic nationalists. After the Attack on Pearl Harbour, the United States people were lining up in the millions to fight the Axis Powers. African American -Also Hailing from the United States, the African American culture is one of strife and the fight for civil rights. While they still are considered equal to white citizens, they often find themselves segregated into their own military units. Canadian -North of the United States are the Canadians and despite what people may think, the Canadians are exactly pacifists. Well trained and efficient, Canadian soldiers have proved themselves multiple times over. Mexican -South of the border lies Mexico and their people; hailing from a majority Spanish descent, the Mexicans were never trusted during WW1 due to the Zimmerman Telegram. During WW2, they find themselves on the side of the Allies and are one of the few nations on the American continents to send units to fight. South American Ethnicities Brazilian -Hailing from the large nation of Brazil, the people of this former Portuguese colony are known as some of the few people from the American continent that had an active military part in World War 2. European Ethnicities English -The inhabitants of the primary nation of the United Kingdom, the English are one of the three major Allied powers during World War 2, having fought the war almost since the beginning. They would go on to be the co-leaders of the Allied powers alongside the United States and Russia over the course of the war. Scottish -The people of Scotland have always been known as warriors. While not as talked about as English soldiers of the United Kingdom, Scottish soldiers did serve during World War 2 on multiple fronts and took casualties in multiple situations. French -One of the most recognisable factions of World War 2, it was the first major Allied power to be invaded by the German war machine during the war. After their defeat at the hands of the Germans, the French created one of the largest resistance movements as well as serving on multiple Theaters with the Allies. German -The driving force behind the Axis powers during World War, having begun the conflict with the Invasion of Poland in 1939. Their forces fought on three fronts and in many different countries during the course of the war. Austrian -While most people might have problems discerning an Austrian from a German, the people of Austria have always made sure to inform others of their extensive cultural difference from Germans. Despite this, Austria, after its annexation, served as a very significant portion of the German Wehrmacht. Dutch -While not a particularly major part of the early World War 2, the Dutch were quickly invaded and conquered by the German Reich. Resistance movements would fight over the course of the war, supporting Allied forces during Operation Market Garden and resisting German forces where they could. Belgian -Similarly to the Dutch, Belgian as a major participant in the war ended very quickly after the initial invasion by Germany. They continued to resist German occupation during the course of the war, and while not as major as the Dutch, assisted in Operation Market Garden. Danish -Like many of its neighbouring, smaller nation, Denmark and its people did not play a major part in World War 2, having lost to German occupation early on and fairly quickly. After their loss, the Danish formed resistance movements and served in the Armies and Navies of other Allied powers. Norwegian -The only Scandinavian nation to fall, it was invaded by Germany during Operation Weserübung and was under occupation during the war. Most Norwegians fought as underground resistance fighters or as volunteers in the service of other nations. Swedish -While completely neutral during the course of World War 2, citizens of Sweden, unofficially, fought for the Allied powers during the course of World War 2, operating as training officers and military intelligence officials. Finnish -The Fins served as a member of the Axis power during World War 2, aligning with Germany in return for assistance against the Soviet Union. They would fight well against the Soviets but their joining of the Axis powers put them in a bad place when the war ended. Russian -The Russians were one of the largest players during World War 2, having lost the single largest amount of total casualties, beating out even China over the course of the war. Russia is largely considered the most important nation for the Allies, their Eastern front perhaps being the most important front of the war. Polish -While not usually considered a major power, Polish combatant forces numbered as one of the largest organisations during the course of the war. At the end of the war, Polish combatants numbered as the 4th largest military group in the world. Italian -The second of the major Axis powers, the Italians fought mostly in North Africa and their own country. While not particularly known for their ground-based capacity, the Italians are best known for having one of the best and largest navies at the time. Spanish -Similarly to Sweden, Spain was neutral during the course of World War 2. Despite this, due to the victory of the Nationalists during the Spanish Civil War, a whole division of Spanish volunteers served on the Eastern Front, combating the Communists of Soviet Russia. Asia Japanese -The last of the major Axis powers, Japan had already been at war with China at the outbreak of the Second World War. It was Japan that also brought the United States fully into the war by attacking Pearl Harbour, angering the 'sleeping giant' that was the U.S. Chinese -While their actions in anything but the Asian theater was essentially null, the Chinese had united their many factions into a single entity to fight the invading Japanese. While China is often relegated to a secondary position in the war, China took the second largest amounts of casualties during the war. Korean -It was until the late war that the Japanese started to allow Korean volunteers to serve within their military. Despite the rough and terrible conditions their people had suffered, hundreds of thousands of Korean volunteered to serve within the Japanese military. Indian -The largest of the British Dominion, the British Raj as it was known sent over 2.5 million soldiers to fight during World War 2. One of the largest Allied contributors, the service of Indians in World War 2 is often looked over but something that is a major part of the events of World War 2. Australian -Another part of the British Dominion, the Australians were a major part in Allied operations in World War 2, having fought on multiple islands as well as serving as a very important port nation for fleets of the United Kingdoms as well as the United States once they entered into the war. New Zealander -While not as noticeable as their older sibling, Australia, the people of New Zealander served an active combat role during World War 2, fighting alongside Americans and Australians in the Asian theater. Also like Australia, New Zealanders fought in North Africa and Europe is multiple cases. Mongolia -A fairly minor nation during World War 2, they managed to stay neutral during most of the war, providing economical support for the Soviet Union. It was until the end, when the Soviet Union invaded Japan, that the Mongolian Army providing direct military support against the Japanese. Filipino -A semi-autonomous part of the United States, the Filipino Army under the command of Douglas McArthur served a fairly important part of the Pacific Theater, fighting the Japanese as long as they could, allowing the United States to mobilise and repair their navy to be able to fully fight the Japanese. African Moroccan -While never a major military part of World War 2, a large portion of the Moroccan people fought against the Axis as part of resistance movements. After their liberation during Operation Torch, the Moroccan people joined on as volunteers to multiple Allied forces and fought against the Axis outside of Africa. South African -Another member of the British Dominion, South Africa served as part of the militaries of the British realm during the course of World War 2. They particularly fought in the different African campaigns but also served in Europe during the later parts of the war. Kenyan -The Kenyans are possibly the best known of the African forces that served during World War 2, particularly as members of the Askari, a group of multi-national African soldiers that served in the King's African Rifles, the military organisation of British African Colonies that served during World War 2.